1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to multipoint communication systems that use circuit bonding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Circuit bonding devices exchange communications with their respective users. The communications may be in Ethernet, Internet Protocol, Storage Area Network, Time Division Multiplex, or some other communication format. Circuit bonding devices concatenate the user communications for transfer over bonded circuits. Circuit bonding devices receive the transferred user communications from the bonded circuits and de-concatenate the user communications for transfer to the users—typically in their original communication format. The circuits that are bonded together typically comprise unbundled network elements, such as twisted pairs, DS1 links, or DS3 links, that are obtained from Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers at wholesale rates pursuant to Federal rules. One example of a conventional circuit bonding device is the equipment provided by Ceterus Networks.
Conventional circuit bonding devices are deployed in pairs to provide point-to-point communications between the two circuit bonding devices that form the pair. If user site A must communicate with user site B and user site C, then a first pair of circuit bonding devices are required for the site A-to-B communications, and a second pair of circuit bonding devices are required for the site A-to-C communications. Thus, site A must install two circuit bonding devices to support communications to the two different sites B and C.
Unfortunately, the number of separate circuit bonding devices required per site in a multipoint communication system adds too much complexity and cost. In addition, conventional circuit bonding devices are not configured to effectively handle faults and traffic bursts in a multipoint communication system.